You know Borat. You know Bruno. You know Ali G. But you probably don’t know much about Sacha Baron Cohen. The man himself sits down with Marc in the garage to talk about what goes into bringing such rich comedic characters to life, why he was drawn to comedy in the first place, and what’s next, with his new movie The Brothers Grimsby on the horizon. This episode is sponsored by Audible, Squarespace, Stamps.com, MeUndies and SoFi.
Herb Alpert had enormous success as a musician and recording artist before becoming a massively influential recording industry executive when he co-founded A&M Records. Herb’s talks to Marc about the past and explains why he’s still recording music, touring and playing that famous trumpet. Also on the show, Mark and Jay Duplass stop by to talk about the new season of Togetherness on HBO. This episode is sponsored by Broad City on Comedy Central, SoFi, Squarespace and Blue Apron.
Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer got Broad City off the ground when they were fed up with not getting their shot. In that way, they have something in common with Marc and WTF. Abi and Ilana join Marc in the garage to talk about the birth of their hit show, plus some talk about New York City, drumming, digital media stars, the UCB, and Amy Poehler. This episode is sponsored by Seeso, Squarespace, Portlandia on IFC and Stamps.com.
Comedian Ben Hoffman’s latest venture into country music seems inevitable. As an out-of-place Jewish kid in Kentucky, he found an escape by becoming a comedic actor and writer. But Ben tells Marc that career ups and downs, not to mention OCD and crippling anxiety, pushed him back to his good ol’ boy roots and prompted him to create Nashville sensation Wheeler Walker, Jr. This episode is sponsored by Audible, 1-800 Flowers and Squarespace.
Pete Correale and Marc probably didn’t intend for their conversation to turn into an unabashed celebration of stand-up comedy, but that’s what happened when these two comics sat down in the garage. They take a warts-and-all look at the profession they both love, including their feelings about life on the road, grinding it out in the clubs and watching other comedians work. This episode is sponsored by Zip Recruiter, 1-800 Flowers, Squarespace, and Adam & Eve.
Cindy Crawford was unquestionably the most famous model in the world during the 1990s. She survived and prospered far beyond the typical career duration of a model by determining early on that if the industry was going to use her, she needed to use it back. Cindy and Marc talk about the days when the Supermodel ruled the culture, the changes in her life since becoming a mother, and the shifting perceptions of middle age. This episode is sponsored by Warby Parker, Squarespace, 1-800 Flowers, and Casper.
Mike Binder’s career evolved in unforeseen ways since he first started doing stand-up on TV when he was 18. After being a staple in the glory days of The Comedy Store, Mike tells Marc how doing comedy led to writing some early screenplays, which opened the door for him to become a full-time film director, TV show creator and thriller novelist. This episode is sponsored by Blue Apron, Adam and Eve, Stamps.com, and Squarespace.
Peter Guralnick’s childhood love affair with the Blues led him on a life-long journey through the history of rock and roll. Peter shows Marc why he is considered one of American music’s preeminent writers and historians, dropping knowledge about some of his most famous subjects, from Sam Cooke to Elvis Presley to Sam Phillips, the man who fundamentally changed music in the United States. This episode is sponsored by Zip Recruiter, Squarespace, and Audible.com.
Michael Moore says he’s angrier than he’s ever been about the state of things. But Marc senses something softer in Michael’s personality these days. The filmmaker and activist sits down with Marc in the garage to discuss where that anger comes from, why he’s made a conscious choice to channel those feelings in a new direction, and how this all plays out in his latest film, Where To Invade Next. This episode is sponsored by Chelsea Does on Netflix, Seeso, and Stamps.com.
Cultural critic and writer Cintra Wilson has always made Marc’s head spin. She takes him back to her wild and woolly days in San Francisco and gets him up to speed on her most recent project, a cross-country exploration of American fashion. Plus, Zach Galifianakis stops by to talk about his new series Baskets, which he co-created with Louis CK. Zach and Marc also compare notes on their respective interviews with President Obama. This episode is sponsored by Idiotsitter on Comedy Central, HBONOW, Audible and Squarespace.
Crispin Glover knows you might think he’s crazy. As he tells Marc, he sees madness as being good for art. They talk about what that perception has meant for his acting career, including the lawsuit that stemmed from Back to the Future and the roles he’s taken in big budget movies like Charlie’s Angels. Crispin also talks about the new film he’s making with his father and his in-progress trilogy. This episode is sponsored by Childrens Hospital on Adult Swim, Squarespace, Audible and Stamps.com.
Garrett Morris is the first original member of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players to sit down in the garage. Garrett tells Marc how he made it to SNL despite being homeless, addicted to cocaine and cursed by his grandmother. He also gets into his career post-SNL and explains how he survived being shot by a would-be mugger. This episode is sponsored by Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, Portlandia on IFC, ZipRecruiter, Blue Apron and Colony on USA Network.
Writer-director Charlie Kaufman takes Marc through his impressive filmography, including Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Synecdoche, NY. But they also go back to when Charlie was a panic-stricken writer on TV shows like Get a Life and The Dana Carvey Show. Then Charlie and Marc are joined by Duke Johnson, Charlie’s co-director on his new film Anomalisa. This episode is sponsored by David Bowie’s Blackstar, MeUndies, Seeso and Stamps.com.
Todd Haynes has been messing with Marc’s mind for decades. Well, his films have. The writer-director sits down in the garage to go over it all, from his Barbie doll biopic about Karen Carpenter to his identity-bending Bob Dylan film to his latest love story, Carol. Plus, Marc gives Sarah Silverman a call to congratulate her on her SAG Award nomination. This episode is sponsored by Colony on USA Network, Warby Parker, Squarespace, and Todd Margaret on IFC.
David Spade kicks of 2016 in the garage, talking with Marc about growing up with guns, becoming a father unexpectedly, turning the corner at SNL after years of struggling, getting to know and love Chris Farley, and hitting the road to do stand-up again. Plus, David explains how he narrowly avoided becoming a Hollywood tragedy during a terrifying night at his home. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, Blue Apron, Casper and Stamps.com.
Bill Burr returns to WTF for the first time in six years. He talks with Marc about big banks, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, playing drums for Slash, and his new animated series on Netflix, F is for Family. Also, Marc bids farewell to Lemmy and looks back at a year of great conversations, including highlights from President Obama, Terry Gross, Keith Richards and more. This episode is sponsored by The Jerry Springer Podcast and Audible.com.
Author and journalist Neil Strauss became the story after he wrote the enormously popular and controversial book, The Game. He got so deep into the world of pick-up artists and the seduction community, he struggled to find the truth about his own identity and personal relationships. Neil and Marc sit down in the garage to talk about what Neil learned from the experience. This episode is sponsored by Colony on USA Network, Squarespace, and SimpliSafe.
Singer-songwriter Bob Forrest has a hell-and-back story befitting the 666th episode of WTF. Bob tells Marc how he became a drug counsellor after struggling with addiction while leading the band Thelonious Monster. He also explains why he felt Celebrity Rehab was desperately needed and why he worked with Dr. Drew to create it. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, The Jerry Springer Podcast and SimpliSafe.